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The application site comprises the residential curtilage of 24 Church Street, Peel. The existing property is a three storey Victorian terraced dwelling located on the western side of Church Street.
Proposed is the installation of replacement windows and door to the front elevation.
The windows to be replaced are on the front (east) elevation of the property. The existing windows are top hung casements and the materials appear to include both white upvc and painted timber. The windows on the second floor do not have any inner frame sections, but the windows on the ground and first floor have larger fixed frame sections with smaller opening sections above.
The existing door is not considered to be the original. It is stained timber with two glazed panels above, which are sub-divided into smaller glazed sections. The replacement door would be white upvc in a non traditional style. The proposed door would have plastic panels in the bottom section with an arch headed glazed section above. The existing door frame and fanlight over appear to be the original, as they are a traditional style in painted timber. The application does not propose the removal of these.
There are no previous planning applications for the application site which are considered relevant in the assessment and determination of this application.
There are other upvc front doors on properties in Church Street. The following previous planning applications for upvc front doors to neighbouring properties are considered relevant in the assessment and determination of this application;
98/01859/B - Permitted 25.03.99 Installation of uPVC door and frame, 20 Church Street, Peel.
02/01275/B - Permitted 12.12.02 Installation of replacement uPVC front door, 16 Church Street, Peel.
03/01721/B - Permitted 07.04.04 Installation of uPVC sliding sash windows and door to front elevation and uPVC casement replacement to rear elevation, 21 Church Street, Peel.
06/01596/B - Permitted 11.12.06 Installation of a uPVC front door to replace existing timber front door, 27 Church Street, Peel.
In terms of local plan policy, the application site is located within an area designated as Mixed Use in the Peel Local Plan 1989. The site is located within the Peel Conservation Area.
The Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2007 contains a policy which is considered material to the assessment of this current planning application;
Environment Policy 35; Within Conservation Areas, the Department will permit only development which would preserve or enhance the character or appearance of the Area, and will ensure that the special features contributing to the character and quality are protected against inappropriate development.
Planning Circular 1/98, The Alteration and Replacement of Windows, contains a policy which is considered material to the assessment of this current planning application;
Category b) BUILDINGS IN CONSERVATION AREAS
If the original windows are in place they should preferably be repaired. If repair is impracticable, replacement windows which would be readily visible from a public thoroughfare MUST HAVE THE SAME method of opening as the originals. Whatever the material used in their construction, the windows MUST HAVE THE SAME pattern and section of glazing bars and the same frame sections as the original windows.
Windows not readily visible from a public thoroughfare must have the same or similar pattern of glazing bars as the originals, but not necessarily the original method of opening, whatever the material used in the construction.
Reasons for Policy: The Department has a duty to determine which parts of the Island are areas of special architectural or historic interest, the character of which it is desirable to preserve or enhance, and shall by order designate such areas as Conservation Areas. Planning Approval is required for all external works to properties in Conservation Areas to ensure that any proposals are in keeping with not only the individual building, but the special character and quality of the area as a whole.
REPRESENTATIONS
8 November 2010
10/01362/B
Peel Town Commissioners recommend that the application be approved.
The site is located with the Peel Conservation Area, so the relevant policies from the Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2007 and Planning Circular 1/98 require development to preserve or enhance the area.
The proposed windows; The existing windows are upvc and timber casements, but it is likely that the original windows would have been painted timber sliding sashes, which means that the existing windows have been installed at a previous time. In some cases, the planning authority has allowed casement windows when the existing windows were not traditional and the proposed casements, while not preferred, would be an improvement or would not change the existing situation.
If the timber sliding sashes were still in place then it would be unlikely that permission would be granted for casement windows. However, this is not the case here. After visiting the area and viewing the information about the proposed windows, it is considered that the proposed casements would be an acceptable replacement in this instance. Whilst they would not be traditional sliding sashes, the glazing sections of the proposed casements would be similar to the existing which are to be replaced. The windows policy states that there is no preference to the material used in windows in Conservation Areas, so the proposed upvc is satisfactory. From visiting the site it was obvious that there is no uniform design of windows in properties on Church Street, as there is a mixture of timber sliding sashes and casements.
The proposed door; Given the nature of the application, it is appropriate to consider Environment Policy 35 of the Isle of Man Strategic Plan, which states, "Within Conservation Areas, the Department will permit only development which would preserve or enhance the character or appearance of the Area, and will ensure that the special features contributing to the character and quality are protected against inappropriate development."
Although the front door which would be removed is not the original, the installation of the upvc front door in its place cannot be considered as preserving or enhancing the property.
Even though there are other upvc front doors to properties in Church Street, none of these were given planning approval after the adoption of the Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2007, from where the policy of preserving or enhancing the Conservation Area is taken.
The existence of neighbouring upvc front doors which were given approval before the adoption of the Strategic Plan does not justify the further decline in more traditional style front doors in this area.
The proposed windows are considered to be an acceptable replacement, but the proposed door would not preserve or enhance the character or appearance of the property and does not comply with Environment Policy 35 from the Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2007. Planning Officers cannot recommend split decisions on planning applications, so even though the windows part of this application would be acceptable, the whole application is recommended for refusal due to the proposed door.
It is considered that the following parties, who submitted comments, should be afforded Interested Party Status;
The local authority is, by virtue of the Town and Country Planning (Development Procedure) Order 2005, paragraph 6 (5) (c) and (d), considered an "interested person" and as such should be afforded party status.
Recommendation Recommended Decision: Refused Date of Recommendation: 08.11.2010 Conditions and Notes for Approval / Reasons and Notes for Refusal
R 1.
The installation of a uPVC front door would be contrary to Environment Policy 35 of the Isle of Man Strategic Plan 2007 as it introduces an unduly inappropriate feature into the street scene, which would not preserve or enhance the character and appearance of the Conservation Area and would adversely affect the visual amenities of the locality.
I confirm that this decision accords with the appropriate Government Circular delegating functions to Senior Planning Officer. Decision Made: Refused Date: ............................... Signed: ............................... Senior Planning Officer
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